4.8 vs 5.3 questions and thoughts?

[C&C Chevy]

Hey, I normally don't post here. Well, never, actually. I'm an 80's guy.

...anyway.. my dad has been looking at some crew cabs of this era and the 07's and newer. He was asking me about the 4.8 vs. 5.3 engines. We both know that the 5.3 is a good all-around engine when it comes to power, MPG's and reliability. But, he's telling me that there just aren't alot of used crew's available with 5.3's and that he's finding more 4.8's out there in used car land. And they're cheaper too. I know nothing about the 4.8's and come to you guys for you thoughts on the 2 engines. Keep in mind, he doesn't haul anything but the occasional couch or chair.

I guess he's worried about the quality and durability of the 4.8's since you never hear much about them. Any thoughts and/or personal experiences are welcome! Thanks!

[crazy longhorn]

As far as durability, the short stroke/long rod 4.8 should hold up better....on power, the 5.3 is superior. I run a 4.8 in my 02 extended(2wd). I always felt it was underpowered, but a swap in diffs (3,42, down to 3.73) made a nice driving truck. I cant say on mileage yet, maybe 1 mpg in town....but a road trip will tell the complete story! If he doesnt do heavy hauling,the 4.8 should do just fine.....crazyL

[biggsteve97]

I have the 4.8 in my 2002 regular cab long bed 4x4 with around 210,000 miles on it and have never done anything to the motor besides a couple tune ups. We did put a custom exhaust and cold air kit on to get the power up some and even with the 3.73 gears we get about 21-22 mpg hwy and a combined 14-15 mpg. Have done quite a bit of hauling with it and had no issues. Yes with a 3000 lb double axle car hauler and an 85 K5 Blazer on it you do notice the 4.8l lower torque output when taking off from a dead stop but its not a serious issue at all just put your foot a litte more into the throttle and the little engine does fine.
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[Hipper]

I have an 02 gmc 2wd extended cab with 4.8, dont haule much but every often you just need to. My son's trans am burnt up trans 6 hrs away and had to go rescue him. Got 18mpg with empty trailer to get him and to my suprise got 16 mpg on way back. Not a power house with trailer but pulls great and just takes a little longer to get up to speed but once there it pulls good.

[hugger6933]

In most cases if you had a 5.3 sticker on the airbox and the right letter on the vin tag you could not tell that you had a 4.8 instead of a 5.3. I love the 4.8 motor. I build [rebuild] wrecks and the trucks and tahoes and such that have the 4.8 instead of the 5.3 are hard to tell unless you load them down or check the mileage every tankful. The 4.8 will get better mileage every time you check itand the 4.8 has more thathan plenty power to move a truck or tahoe around. and they will get 2to 4 more mpg from my experiances. Jim

[Boog]

The power difference can be noticeable between the 4.8 and 5.3. But selecting the proper gear ratio can offset the difference.
A coworker's 2010 GMC cc 2wd w/4.8 gets a best of 18 mpg on long trips.
My 2000 GMC excab 4wd w/5.3 gets 18 hwy with 3.73 gear.
My 2006 GMC cc 4wd w/5.3 gets 19 hwy with 4.10 gear.
Of course the "your mileage may vary" disclaimer is always true.
The 5.3 engine is a good all around engine size for the full size 1/2 ton pkups.